SPD Public Policy Update

Funding for research in the US is in jeopardy, making it critical that scientists be aware of how they can communicate to policy makers the importance of their work. In a Monday-evening session entitled "Advocating in a Challenging Budget Environment," key public-policy advocates from the AAS and the Solar Physics Division (SPD) offered their perspectives and responded to questions and comments from the audience. Speakers included Josh Shiode, the AAS John Bahcall Public Policy Fellow; Tom Berger, chair of the SPD Public Policy Committee; Todd Hoeksema, representing the AAS Committee on Astronomy and Public Policy (CAPP); and long-standing SPD member Gordon Emslie.